The Pancake Batter Anomaly Season 1, Episode 11 -  Aired March 31, 2008

The Pancake Batter Anomaly

When Sheldon catches the flu, Leonard flees the apartment to avoid having to care for a needy Sheldon. After Sheldon turns up at the Cheesecake Factory, Penny is left to care of him.

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Guest Stars: Carol Ann Susi as Mrs. Wolowitz, Erin Allin O'Reilly as Cheryl

Writers: Chuck Lorre (Story), Lee Aronsohn (Story), Bill Prady (Teleplay), Stephen Engel (Teleplay)

Director: Mark Cendrowski

Viewers: 8.43 million Households Rating: 5.3/8 Adults 18-49 Rating: 3.1/9

Available on iTunes

Episode Notes

  • The title references the pancake batter bowl which Sheldon used for urine samples.

> Soft Kitty

This episode features the first mention of "Soft Kitty". When Leonard, Howard and Raj abandon Sheldon after he catches a cold ("code milky green"), Penny is left to take care of him. Sheldon asks her to sing him Soft Kitty, as his mother used to when he was sick, and so he teachers Penny the words.

Episode Quotes

Mrs. Wolowitz Howard, it's the phone.
Howard: I know it's the phone, Ma. I can hear the phone.
Mrs. Wolowitz Well who's calling at this ungodly hour?
Howard: I don't know.
Mrs. Wolowitz Well ask them why they're calling at this ungodly hour.
Howard: How can I ask them when I'm talking to you?

Sheldon: Checkmate.
Leonard: Oh, again?
Sheldon: Obviously, you're not suited for three dimensional chess. Perhaps three dimensional Candy Land would be more your speed.
Leonard: Just reset the board!
Sheldon: It must be humbling to suck on so many levels.

Sheldon: Wait, put this in the bathroom.
Leonard: What for?
Sheldon: I need to measure my fluid intake and output to make sure my kidneys aren't shutting down.
Leonard: I mix pancake batter in this!
Sheldon: No, that measuring cup has always been for urine.
Leonard: You had time to make a label for everything in this apartment, including the label maker, but you didn't have ten seconds to make a label that said "urine cup"?
Sheldon: It's right here on the bottom.
Leonard: Huh, I guess I owe the Betty Crocker Company a letter of apology.

Mrs. Wolowitz: Howard it's the phone!
Howard: I know it's the phone ma! I hear the phone!
Mrs. Wolowitz: Who is calling at this ungodly hour?
Howard: I don't know!
Mrs. Wolowitz: Well ask them why are they calling at this ungodly hour!
Howard: How can I ask them when I'm talking to you?

Sheldon: (On the phone) Howard, I'm sick.
Howard: (Hesitating, Imitating Mrs. Wolowitz) Howard's sleeping, this is his mother. Why are you calling at this ungodly hour?
Sheldon: I need soup!
Howard: (Imitating Mrs. Wolowitz) Then call your own mother.

Episode Tournaments

WinnerThis episode won our Season 1 episode tournament in Winter 2009.

Recap

When Penny returns from a trip home to Nebraska, she stops by Sheldon and Leonard's apartment to collect her mail. She tells them the trip was terrible as everybody got sick, at which point Sheldon freaks out, afraid of catching a sickness. Later that night, Sheldon asks Leonard to place a measuring cup in the bathroom so Sheldon can measure his urine output.

The next morning, Sheldon wakes to discover he's sick. Leonard, having had to deal with a sick Sheldon before, flees the apartment. Leonard, Howard and Raj decide to spend the day at a Planet of the Apes movie marathon. Meanwhile, a visibly ill Sheldon arrives at the Cheesecake Factory demanding soup. Penny calls Leonard for help with Sheldon, but Leonard makes up an excuse to avoid having to go pick Sheldon up.

Penny drops Sheldon off at his apartment and puts him into bed, rubs vapo-rub on his chest and sings Soft Kitty to him. Back at the cinema, Howard accidentally crushed Leonard's glasses, so the guys leave to try retrieve his other pair of glasses from the apartment - without alerting Penny or Sheldon. Despite Howard and Raj guiding a near-sighted Leonard around the apartment with a wireless minicam and bluetooth headset, Penny catches Leonard in the apartment and leaves him to take care of Sheldon alone.